February 25, 2004  CBS News Transcripts

First, federal officials say the government is doing everything it can to keep beef safe from mad cow disease, but some critics say it's not doing enough. Wyatt Andrews reports.

WYATT ANDREWS reporting:

For Tom Woodward and every rancher in America, the question is: How does the beef industry recover after losing $6 billion to one mad cow?

Mr. TOM WOODWARD (Cattle Rancher): That's a bunch of money, especially to a cowboy. I don't want some disease coming in and devastating my cow herd.

ANDREWS: But two months after the discovery of that single mad cow, one of the federal government's most important decisions--to double the number of cows tested from 20,000 to 40,000--came under attack at a Senate hearing.

Senator HERB KOHL (Democrat, Wisconsin): In Japan, as you know, they test every---every animal. And we test less than 1 percent of our animals.

ANDREWS: The government's chief vet answered if you target sick or so-called downer cows, 40,000 will be plenty. Forty thousand mad cow tests might sound like a lot until you understand that America slaughters some 35 million cattle every year, so this new system will test roughly one out of every 900 cows. Michael Hansen at Consumers Union says the US should be testing millions, not thousands, of cows.

Mr. MICHAEL HANSEN (Consumers Union): They're telling us, 'Don't worry, be happy, everything's under control,' and they're ostriches with their heads in the sand.

ANDREWS: Officials tell CBS News the mad cow program may be revised yet again to test more cows.